The Countess de Saint-Geran
The novel follows the story of the beautiful and mysterious Countess de Saint-Geran, a woman of noble birth who is forced to flee her home in France after the death of her father. She finds refuge in the court of the King of Naples, where she quickly becomes the object of desire of many of the courtiers. The Countess is soon embroiled in a dangerous game of love and politics, as she is pursued by the King's son, the Duke of Calabria, and the Duke's rival, the Marquis de Montalban. As the two men battle for her affections, the Countess must also contend with the machinations of the court's scheming nobles, who are determined to use her as a pawn in their own political games. The novel follows the Countess as she navigates the treacherous waters of courtly intrigue, and ultimately discovers the truth about her past and her true identity. Along the way, she must make difficult choices between love and duty, and ultimately learns to trust her own heart.
By Alexandre Dumas · First published 1839 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure · 17,829 words
First lines
About the end of the year 1639, a troop of horsemen arrived, towards midday, in a little village at the northern extremity of the province of Auvergne, from the direction of Paris. The country folk assembled at the noise, and found it to proceed from the provost of the mounted police and his men. The heat was excessive, the horses were bathed in sweat, the horsemen covered with dust, and the party seemed on its return from an important expedition. A man left the escort, and asked an old woman who was spinning at her door if there was not an inn in the place. The woman and her children showed him a bush hanging over a door at the end of the only street in the village, and the escort recommenced its march at a walk. There was noticed, among the mounted men, a young man of distinguished appearance and richly dressed, who appeared to be a prisoner. This discovery redoubled the curiosity of the villagers, who followed the cavalcade as far as the door of the wine-shop. The host came out, cap in hand, and the provost enquired of him with a swaggering air if his pothouse was large enough to accommodate his troop, men and horses. The host replied that he had the best wine in the country to give to the king's servants, and that it would be easy to collect in the neighbourhood litter and forage enough for their horses. The provost listened contemptuously to these fine promises, gave the necessary orders as to what was to be done, and slid off his horse, uttering an oath proceeding from heat and fatigue. The horsemen clustered round the young man: one held his stirrup, and the provost deferentially gave way to him to enter the inn first. No, more doubt could be entertained that he was a prisoner of importance, and all kinds of conjectures were made. The men maintained that he must be charged with a great crime, otherwise a young nobleman of his rank would never have been arrested; the women argued, on the contrary, that it was impossible for such a pretty youth not to be innocent.
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The Countess de Saint-Geran is listed on Textopian as a novel by Alexandre Dumas, dated 1839 CE.
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- Work type: Novel
- Author: Alexandre Dumas
- Date: 1839 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Adventure
- Length: 17,829 words
- Structure: 1 section, 585 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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Genres
- Historical Fiction — The Countess de Saint-Geran is set in the 19th century and follows the story of a French noblewoman, making it a historical fiction novel.
- Romance — The novel follows the romantic relationship between the Countess de Saint-Geran and her lover, making it a romance novel.
- Adventure — The novel follows the Countess de Saint-Geran on her adventures as she attempts to reunite with her lover, making it an adventure novel.
Tags
Biography · Crime · Crime Nonfiction · Criminals · Social Studies · baulieu · bouille · chateau · child · count · countess · country